Signed
by Spurs for a fee that could have risen to £4 million, Calum Davenport was
immediately loaned out to West Ham United ... much to the annoyance of
Coventry City, who wanted the player back on loan until the end of the
season. His performances for the Championship team received rave
reviews and the deal was done so that he could continue training with
Tottenham and they could keep an eye on his progress with the East
London side.

Calum made his debut for
Spurs three months after signing at Aston Villa, coming
on as a substitute for the last seven minutes of the
game ... playing as a centre forward !!

On his
return at Christmas 2004, he was sent out on loan again to Southampton for
the rest of the season, making a limited amount of appearances as the
side struggled and were relegated at the end of the season.

During the
summer of 2005, he had the opportunity to join Reading on loan, but
chose to stake his claim for a place in the Spurs team and he had also
had the responsibility of captaining the England Under-21 side.
However, to get first team experience, Davenport was loaned out to
Norwich City playing alongside former Spur Gary Doherty and while the
Canaries would have liked to make the signing permanent at the
end of the deal, as the central defender had once more impressed, but
they were unable to afford Tottenham's asking price. While there,
he had an eventful spell, scoring against his former club, Coventry City
and got sent off against Luton Town.

Ironically, for the next
year, Calum enjoyed something of a run in the Tottenham
side. His height added to the back line and
although he should have been more dangerous at
set-pieces, he only recorded one goal in a Spurs shirt.
A good footballer, who was comfortable on the ball and
keen to move up-field with it, Davenport looked the sort
of player Spurs might use a lot, but with King and
Dawson ahead of him, he would rarely be the regular
first choice.

Having spent more time on
loan than actually at the club, it was perhaps not too
much of a surprise that in the January transfer window
of 2006, he left to join West Ham United, where he
believed he would get more on-pitch time, despite their
perilous league position. Spurs seemed to have
recouped the fee they paid for him receiving £3 million
for his services from the Upton Park club.

Failing to find a regular
starting position in the Irons' line-up, Calum went on
loan spells at Watford, where he suffered a bad back
injury and when he recovered the following season, the
defender went out on loan again to Sunderland.

Davenport was almost put out
of football altogether when he was involved in a
stabbing incident at his mother's house, which turned
out to be his sister's boyfriend, who stabbed him in
both legs during a family argument. The
perpetrator was sentenced for actual bodily harm and
Calum had to appear in court for an attack on his
sister, who claimed he had bitten her in the same
incident. The player was charged with the offence,
but after a hearing, he was cleared of the offence.

In the summer of 2010, he
was training with Nottingham Forest and Leeds United,
before signing with United Counties side Wooton Blue
Cross in an attempt to get fit again for a return to
professional football.

"Of
course, it was great to pull on a Spurs shirt and get on,
but I would class my proper debut as playing in my usual
position and starting the game, rather than coming on for 10
minutes up front !"

... his return from loan at West
ham United ... 28.11.2004 (THFC programme)

"It was a bit of a surprise
to come back from West Ham. When I first signed here and
then went to West Ham, I thought I'd probably be there for
the season, because of the number of centre-halves we have
here, but with injuries and circumstances, it's come round
quicker than I expected, which I am delighted with.

My mind was on doing a job for
West Ham, trying to make a name for myself. But my main aim
was to come back to Spurs and the sooner the better, so it's
worked out well for me."